Grants in the Former Soviet Union

Comedy Club Jewish Style

Comedy Club Jewish Style is a stand-up comedy contest open to any talented and creative Jewish youth from Saint Petersburg and other cities.

The competition ran for six months during which participants attended lectures on relevant Jewish topics in order to broaden their intellectual horizons and be better able to develop Jewish-themed jokes. In addition to the lectures, all participants went through several master-classes and long distance lessons on acting techniques and voice acting taught by specialists such as Igor Meerson (stand-up comedian, script writer and producer), Tatiana Drozdova (specialist in the actor’s craft), Sergey Aref’ev (stand-up script writer) and Inna Rubanovich (art director and actress). Contestants participated in three contest rounds judged by an audience and a panel of experts including Comedy Club residents and other specialists in comedy and acting.

Twenty-one comedians performed at the “Open Mic Stand-Up Show” in Saint Petersburg in October 2015. Nine participants — from Saint Petersburg, Kirov, Orenburg, Pskov, Kharkov, Essentuki and Chelyabinsk — made it to the final.

The final took place at the Olimpia Club in Saint Petersburg, where the performances were judged by Alexander Shlimak (director of Hillel Russia), Dmitry Soretz (businessman and producer), and such comedians and actors as Andrew Urgant, Lev Scheglov, Sergey Rost, Vsevolod Moskvin and Marina Bochkareva. Alexey Shamutilo from Pskov ultimately won the comedy contest show.

Genesis Philanthropy Group supported the performance of special guests Vlados, from Comedy Club Israel, and Julia Kogan, a former “Leningrad” singer, and the moderator, Igor (Elvis) Meerson.

Goals and objectives

Support the creativity of young Jewish comedians who work with Jewish themes

Develop the creative potential of Jewish youth by teaching them the basics of acting

Popularize Jewish traditions and culture through personal participation in creating jokes and performing to a wide audience